


Enchanted

by 89luv (Wataemelon)



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Princes & Princesses, Slow Dancing, maybe the sappiest thing i’ve ever written, pyojun r princes from diff kingdoms, set in the 1800s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:49:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23387638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wataemelon/pseuds/89luv
Summary: Dongpyo’s parents throw grand parties once a month, set on finally finding their son a future bride. When Dongpyo finds love one night, it isn’t with any of the princesses in the ballroom. Instead it comes to him in the form of a boy petting cats in the garden.
Relationships: Son Dongpyo/Song Hyeongjun
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	Enchanted

_ “Keep your chin up. Have a smile on your face at all times. Don’t slouch. Look welcoming, but not overly friendly. Look kind, but with an air of mystery.” _

Dongpyo thinks he might explode from the overflow of directions. He’s already been sulking for weeks, dreading these horrible parties, thrown for no reason except to find him a future wife.

The purpose makes him cringe, and his palms sweat whenever he thinks over the reason. He’ll try not to let his mind wander too much, over to feelings he’s desperately tried to hold back since he was 13, when he realized none of the girls he met were ever  _ enough. _

Still, even if he holds back on thinking over the  _ reason, _ he can easily accept that none of the girls here ever peak his interest. They’ll float over to him in dresses that look like the cupcakes he sneaks out of the kitchen—and they’ll flutter their lashes, speaking softly from rouged lips.

And sometimes, when his mother’s glare becomes too severe—he’ll take their hands and spare them a dance. And everytime they’ll go back, giggling to their friends, thinking that they were to be the next queen. Most times though, they dejectedly walk back as he smiles politely and tells them he’s happy just watching.

Tonight though, he just isn’t in the mood. No matter how intensely his mother glares at him as he turns away the next girl,  _ and the next _ —he still just keeps his gaze forward, feeling the way his stomach sinks with every passing minute.

Soon, he can’t bare another second of the stuffy ballroom, so he swiftly turns around and makes his way out into the garden.

His mother will scold him later that night, but he doesn’t really care right now, just wanting nothing more than to be  _ out of that place _ .

It’s late, and the garden is barely lit by a few lanterns around the path, but he isn’t nervous at all—instead the empty air spills into his chest with each comforting breath, filtering out the tension from his bones.

He continues walking along the path, allowing his mind to empty of every annoyance and thought, filling with only the images of dim flower petals and shrubs.

He’s absentmindedly walking along, when suddenly he realizes that  _ there’s someone else here _ .

“Hello?” he questions gently, noticing a body crouched on the edge of the path. The person’s shoulders raise in shock, and whatever was in front of them jumps quickly into the bushes.

“You scared the cat away,” the person—a boy says, and Dongpyo can just barely make out the shiny puppy eyes he’s giving him.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Dongpyo replies sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. 

The boy shakes his head, standing up, “It’s alright, I’m Hyeongjun by the way,” and as the light reaches Hyeongjun’s face, Dongpyo realizes that this boy is  _ really _ pretty.

Hyeongjun extends his hand, and Dongpyo blankly stares for a minute, before he comes to and reaches out to shake Hyeongjun’s hand in return, “I’m Dongpyo.”

“So you’re the host of this thing huh? What’re you doing out here?” he releases his hand, and Dongpyo curses himself for missing the warmth.

“Well my parents are really the ones who set it up, I’d rather not do this at all,” he mumbles, nervously playing with his fingers.

Hyeongjun hums understandingly, “you don’t want to get married?”

Dongpyo’s lips turn up uneasily, “I guess not.”

Hyeongjun doesn’t push the subject anymore, instead he starts to walk forward, “do you wanna walk with me?” he asks gently, a sweet smile on his face.

Dongpyo’s almost embarrassed at how eagerly he nods.

//

“So you have one of these parties once a month?” Hyeongjun questions incredulously.

Dongpyo winces, and nods.

“That must be exhausting,” Hyeongjun sighs, “I’m tired just being here,” he laughs, “I mean the only thing the girls are talking about is who will be able to win you over, and then some of the others…” he trails off before he can finish his thought.

Dongpyo raises an eyebrow, “the others?”

Hyeongjun has a guilty smile as his eyes slowly travel over to the other, “well, um…” he begins, “they tend to...question your  _ tastes _ .”

Dongpyo’s lucky it’s late, the dark night acting as a shield for his flushed face. He didn’t think he was obvious,  _ he didn’t think— _

“Don’t worry about them,” Hyeongjun whispers, his hand gently holds Dongpyo’s, “their opinions don’t matter.”

Dongpyo nearly yanks his hand out of Hyeongjun’s grasp, terrified at the way his skin buzzes where Hyeongjun holds him. But the comfort he feels is too warm to refuse himself of it.

“Thank you…” he whispers, and Hyeongjun senses his nerves, so he lets go—but not before giving Dongpyo a comforting  _ squeeze. _

“ _ Do you wanna go back—“ _ Hyeongjun starts, but Dongpyo cuts him off with a smile.

“Tell me about yourself, Hyeongjun.”

Hyeongjun looks surprised for a minute, before a happy smile finds his face.

“I’m 17,” he begins, to which Dongpyo replies “ _ me too” _ , causing both of their eyes to light up a bit.

“I love animals,” he smiles, and then goes on a tangent about  _ all his animals back home _ . Dongpyo listens attentively, hanging onto every word the others says, even if it’s just about the food his horse eats in the morning. 

With all the girls his mother forces him to meet, he always pretends to be interested in their stories, forcing every  _ oh _ , and  _ really?  _ But with Hyeongjun he finds himself genuinely interested in everything the other has to say, although he does find himself distracted by the way his eyes shine as he talks about the things he enjoys.

“But most of all,” Hyeongjun begins, a small smile on his face, “I love dancing.”

Dongpyo lifts his eyebrow at the other, the comment surprises him because he’s lived his whole life  _ hating dancing. _

“Well then why aren’t you inside dancing?” he questions.

Hyeongjun has a secretive smile on his face, and he nervously brushes the hair out of his face as he replies, “there’s no one worth dancing with there.”

Dongpyo nods, he has to agree after all, “I hate dancing,” he replies, “but if you love it then maybe I’ve just never met anyone worth dancing with.”

Hyeongjun nods silently and they continue on, but Dongpyo can nearly hear the other thinking beside him.

“Hyeongjun—“

“We could—“

They speak at the same time, and Hyeongjun quickly shuts his mouth.

“What were you saying?” Dongpyo asks, pausing in his steps.

“Nothing,” Hyeongjun replies, “you go.”

Dongpyo raises an eyebrow, watching as the other fixes his clothes uncomfortably, “no it’s okay, you go.”

Dongpyo can’t be sure, because the dark isn’t allowing him to see much, but he thinks that he might see a slight rosiness on the others cheeks.

Hyeongjun takes a deep breath, “I just wanted to say,” he begins quietly, “that… _ we _ could dance together.”

Dongpyo is silent for a moment, his brain trying to piece together what the other has just said, but he notices Hyeongjun nervously beginning to speak again, possibly to  _ take back  _ his last statement—so Dongpyo quickly replies.

“Okay.”

Hyeongjun looks surprised, and Dongpyo isn’t sure why he asked if he was so sure he’d be turned down, but he can’t help finding the other’s nerves endearing.

“Okay!” Hyeongjun says, before wincing at the volume of his reply, “I mean, yes. Alright. Let’s do this.”

Dongpyo bites his lip to keep in his laugh, and absentmindedly he notices Hyeongjun’s gaze dropping. His heart feels fuzzy in a way he’s never felt.

“I’ve never danced with a boy before,” Dongpyo says cheekily, “but I’ll let you take the lead, since you’re the dance expert after all.”

Hyeongjun laughs, and Dongpyo watches as his shoulder untense, although his hands are still shaking slightly as one rests on Dongpyo’s waist—the other taking his hand in his.

Dongpyo muses over the way that Hyeongjun’s hand on his waist feels  _ right _ , but tries to push it out of his mind as his hand comes to rest on the others shoulder, his gaze slowly finding Hyeongjun’s.

  
  


“I’m sure you know how to dance, so I won't bother teaching you,” Hyeongjun laughs.

Dongpyo rolls his eyes, “you don’t dance with as many girls as I do a year without being able to manage.”

Hyeongjun laughs as he begins to step into place, and suddenly Dongpyo is being led along.

For years he’s been subjected to dance-after-dance with multitudes of girls. For years he’s dreaded every click of their heels as they make their way forward. For years he’s gone through the motions, barely feeling their hand in his, barely recognizing the words leaving his mouth at the end of the dance, as they pull apart and go their separate ways.

Right now Dongpyo is hyper aware of everything.

Hyeongjun’s hand in his—the slight warmth emanating from it and spreading from the tips of his fingers through every space in his bones. He’s aware of Hyeongjun’s gaze on him, the way he’s just a little taller, and Dongpyo’s heart flutters at the thought that he has to tilt his eyes up just  _ slightly  _ to look at him. Different from girls who just barely reach his height with their heels.

Dongpyo’s gone through the motions during dances for  _ years,  _ muscle memory leading him through each move, he hasn’t made a mistake since he was 11—but suddenly he’s stepping on Hyeongjun’s foot.

Hyeongjun just laughs, and the sound goes straight to Dongpyo’s heart, and all too quickly everything feels like  _ too much _ .

He’s sure his mind isn’t playing tricks on him as he looks at Hyeongjun’s face, taking in the redness adorning it. He’s  _ certain _ he’s seeing the truth as Hyeongjun shyly smiles at him, and Dongpyo feels the after effect—a thundering in his chest like the feeling of being caught skipping lessons—except much  _ warmer _ .

Hyeongjun carefully lets go of his hand, and reaches his hand up  _ painfully slowly _ .

Dongpyo winces as Hyeongjun’s hand makes his way towards him, but relaxes as the other simply brushes his hair to the side. It makes Dongpyo’s chest hurt in a way he doesn’t understand.

The world feels silent as Dongpyo rests his free hand on Hyeongjun’s other shoulder. Time feels paused as his hands meet on the other’s nape. Dongpyo’s heart becomes louder as Hyeongjun’s thumb strokes his cheekbone.

He isn’t sure what any of this means, he’s never read anything like this in any of his books. Neither of them are princesses so it can’t be the  _ love _ described in fairytales. It must be something  _ new _ , something only they’ve discovered.

Whatever it is, Dongpyo doesn’t want it to end, but all too quickly he hears the clack of boots making their way forward. And all too reluctantly—him and Hyeongjun pull apart.

“Prince Dongpyo—“ Dongpyo’s personal knight gasps, “the queen is looking for you!”

Whatever atmosphere had filled the air around him and Hyeongjun had dissipated, returning back to the same dull air of before.

His skin itches as he replies, “I’ll be right there...just—let me say goodbye to my friend.”

The man nods tiredly, before making his way back to the castle. Dongpyo and Hyeongjun wait quietly until they can no longer hear his footsteps.

“I must go,” Dongpyo mumbles dejectedly, and when he looks at the other he sees that Hyeongjun looks just as upset as him, it fills him with a strange sense of relief.

Hyeongjun tentatively reaches his hand out, and Dongpyo eagerly receives it, interlacing their fingers.

Dongpyo stares down at their clasped hands, and then up at Hyeongjun, “will I see you again?” he whispers.

Hyeongjun smiles, “as long as I receive an invite, I…I’d really like to after all.”

Dongpyo brightens, before nervously biting his lip, “Can I…” he begins shyly, “would you mind if…if I kissed you?”

“Yes!” Hyeongjun replies, “or is it ‘no’?” he scratches his head, “um…I’d like to kiss you too.”

Dongpyo giggles, before placing a hand on the side of Hyeongjun’s face. Slowly his eyelids droop as Hyeongjun leans in closer, and finally his eyes shut as his lips meet Hyeongjun’s.

He feels his chest flutter like the wings of the birds in his garden, jumping up and taking flight as Hyeongjun’s hands reach up to hold his face, tilting his head in a way that makes Dongpyo’s skin warm. 

But all too quickly they’re pulling apart.

“My mother will send out an army if I don’t return,” Dongpyo mumbles, barely a breath apart from Hyeongjun, desperate to lean back in.

“You have to go,” Hyeongjun replies, but neither of them pull apart.

It takes Dongpyo a minute to finally pull away—a minute of a dizzy brain too focused on the pretty face in front of him to think of anything else, until finally he shakes himself awake.

“Next time, okay?” Dongpyo says—too desperately, “I’ll make sure you have an invite so meet me here, okay?”

Hyeongjun nods, regretfully letting go of Dongpyo’s face.

“Till next time,” Dongpyo says gently.

“Till next time,” Hyeongjun replies.

Dongpyo looks back 10 times as he makes his way back to the castle. 

//

“It’s so strange of you to be excited for a party!” his mother exclaims happily, “are you finally planning on accepting a wife?” 

Dongpyo keeps himself from rolling his eyes, “I guess…I’ll accept someone if they’re right for me.”

His mother huffs, “well i’m sure you’ll find someone tonight, there will be many possible partners.”

Dongpyo’s gaze falls towards the garden.

“Maybe,” he mumbles.

//

It’s been an hour now, an hour of false smiles and forced laughter. He’s danced with more people than usual, all to make his mother happy, just in the hope that she’d let him off the hook a little easier.

When he looks towards his mother she’s preoccupied, tied up in a conversation with the parents of another _ future bride _ .

Dongpyo uses the chance to quickly slip out.

The path is less dark this time, as he’s left earlier than before. He doesn’t have time to think about the view though as his feet lead him quickly towards exactly what he’s dreamed about for a month.

He’s walking as quickly as he can without seeming  _ too _ desperate, although he knows by the amount of thoughts he’s had about this moment  _ alone _ that he’s more desperate than he’d care to admit.

Quickly he finds himself in the  _ promised spot _ , and quickly his heart speeds up as his eyes land on the silhouette in front of him.

Hyeongjun’s crouched on the path again, probably petting another cat, but this time Dongpyo can see the others soft brown hair clearer.

After the first week, as the memories became less vivid, he’d tried to convince himself that he hadn’t felt as much as he thought. 

But as Hyeongjun finally lifts his head, and his gaze lands on Dongpyo, everything around him looks brighter and Dongpyo’s heart is already nearly beating out of his chest, and Dongpyo understands that he felt just as much  _ and more. _

Hyeongjun lifts himself up, a bright smile overtaking his face, and Dongpyo feels every other thought fade away, being replaced solely with  _ this moment. _

Dongpyo decides that if this isn’t love, then it must be something infinitely more precious.

**Author's Note:**

> as i said in the tags this might be the sappiest thing i’ve ever written LOL but i’ve been so bored bcuz of social distancing and all, and i needed smth painfully soft 💔
> 
> i hope u all r staying healthy and taking care of urselves!! thank you for reading!!


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